Category: Proverbs Challenge

Today is day 31. Enjoy it and I’ll talk about the Proverbs Challenge in a later post.

Proverbs 31:3, 6-10, 20, 30-31

Do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings. Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth farm more than rubies. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man’s understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; coneys are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces. If you have played the fool and exalted yourself, or if you have planned evil, clap your hand over your mouth! For as churning the milk produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.

A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth. By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down. The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. Bloodthirsty men hate a man of integrity and seek to kill the upright. A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both. Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul. A servant cannot be corrected by mere words; though he understands, he will not respond. An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins. Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the Lord that man gets justice.

It’s day 28 of the Proverbs Challenge. Only 3 chapters of the Proverbs to go. Keep on reading!

Proverbs 28:1, 5-6, 9-10, 13-14, 18-20, 25, 27

The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully. Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse. If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable. He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance. He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble. He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall. He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the Lord will prosper. He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips. Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day; restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand. As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly. Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts. A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among great men; it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman. If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man’s confidence, or he who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation. A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Like an earring of gold or an ornament of find gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear. Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house – too much of you, and he will hate you. If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength; for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers. Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say. Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. Do not gloat when you enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him. An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. Do not say, “I’ll do to him as he has done to me; I’ll pay that man back for what he did.” A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge. Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death. Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life. Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich – both come to poverty. Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them. Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared. Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers. Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.